Rotary Shoe Drive to Wear Out Poverty Now Though October 23rd! Donate Now!!Donate your gently used shoes to our annual Shoe Drive to Wear Out Poverty! Your donated shoes will be cleaned and repaired and distributed to those in need domestically and internationally! Shoes are also provided to start micro-businesses, and the proceeds go back to purchasing new shoes for children and adults wherever there is a need.

Buy Your Drinks & Treats at Day-O Espresso on October 23rd & 24th!San Andreas, CA...BUY YOUR DRINKS AND TREATS AT DAY-O, SAN ANDREAS, OCTOBER 23-24 TO HELP CHILDREN AND TEENS IN GRIEF. On Wednesday and Thursday, October 23rd and 24th, Day-O Espresso and Smoothies in San Andreas will donate 10% of your purchase to the Hospice of Amador and Calaveras GRIEFBUSTER Program! Griefbusters are Volunteers trained by Hospice of Amador & Calaveras to help children and teens, ages 5-19, who are grieving the death of someone they love.

This program is provided FREE OF CHARGE and open to ALL grieving youngsters in Amador and Calaveras counties. To learn more about the Griefbuster Program, visit the Hospice of Amador and Calaveras Griefbuster webpage at: http://hospiceofamador.org/griefbusters/ For more information about all Hospice of Amador and Calaveras services or

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Prescribed Burns Planned to Begin Week of October 21st at Calaveras Big Trees State ParkArnold, CA...California State Parks in cooperation with the California Department of Forestry and Fire protection (CAL FIRE) are planning to begin a series of prescribed burns beginning on or around the week of October 21, 2019 through the end of November in Calaveras Big Trees State Park. The goal is to complete 382 acres this fall (see maps below). Ignitions are expected to occur when weather conditions are favorable and adequate resources are available. Some of the units have been previously thinned to reduce the fuel loading, which allows for a safer and more controllable broadcast burn. Much of this work was funded through Propositions 84 and 1 grant from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, an agency of the State of California.

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These burns are part of the prescribed fire program for vegetation management, hazardous fuel load reduction, wildlife habitat improvement, enhance the health of the forest by removing diseased materials, restoring essential nutrients to the soil, and reducing the chance of a catastrophic wildfire. Through forest thinning and prescribed fire, an ecologically healthy forest system can be restored and maintained. Additional benefits of these prescribed burns include protection for the Big Trees developments (Visitors Center, campground, etc.), and the North Grove of giant sequoias.

Pile burning will also take place throughout the fall, winter, and spring seasons within the North and South Grove and along the Big Trees Village and Blue Lake Spring park boundaries.

Prescribed burns produce significantly less smoke than wildfires. The burns are planned and coordinated with the Calaveras and Tuolumne County Air Districts in order to minimize the smoke impacts on surrounding communities. All burning depends on weather and air quality conditions that are favorable for smoke dispersal. If the conditions, such as weather or vegetation are not conducive for burning, the burns will be rescheduled.

Communities near Calaveras Big Trees State Park, including Dorrington, Big Trees Village, White Pines, Blue Lake Spring and Arnold may experience smoke from the burning operations. California State Parks is working with the Calaveras and Tuolumne County Air Pollution Control Districts to limit impacts to smoke sensitive areas.

Both Highway 4 and the Walter W. Smith Parkway will remain open but may experience delays due to smoke and other hazards. The Parkway may experience short-term closures prior to the end of season closure. Some public campsites and dirt roads near the burn areas will be closed to public access during prescribed burn operations including the East and West Moran Roads, East and West 5000 Foot Roads, as well as the South Rim Road. Please obey all warning signs.

For questions or comments about the projects or about the prescribed burn program, contact Jackie Olavarria at (209) 984-8703.

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Tour Moaning Caverns in Halloween Costumes and Save!!Vallecito, CA...Break out the Halloween costumes! If your kids are between 6 and 11 years old and they wear their Halloween costume to Moaning Caverns between October 7th and 31st, their admission will be only $5 for a Spiral Tour! Now, that’s a treat! Walk in only, not available online. Only available on regular price tickets, cannot be combined with any other offer.

Moaning Caverns is a solution cave located in Calaveras County, California, near Vallecito, in the heart of the Gold Country. It was discovered in modern times by gold miners in 1851, but it has long been known by prehistoric peoples. It gets its name from the moaning sound that echoed out of the cave luring people to the entrance. Still today during certain times of the year sounds may be heard echoing up from the bottom of the cave. The most unique feature is the cavern’s main chamber with a vertical shaft 165 feet tall, which you may descend to the bottom of by a combination of stairs and a unique 100-foot high (30m) spiral staircase built in the early 1900s. Moaning Caverns is home to the largest single cave chamber in California. The massive room extends into the marble deposit of the Calaveras Formation over 180 feet before funneling into smaller passageways. With a 20-30 foot thick ceiling, the open area inside the chamber is, in fact, tall enough to hold the Statue of Liberty (pedestal excluded). There is only one natural entrance into the chamber in the form of a 30-foot vertical chimney dropping into the center of the room. Visitors may view the cavern’s main chamber by walking and climbing the narrow wooden staircase to a flat platform 65 feet underground. For the truly athletic and adventurous, from there, a ten-story spiral staircase leads down to a second platform at the base of the chamber.